650722 Mon Sep 07 17:29:28 -0700 2009 10 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 5011996 We went to Plouf the other night at the suggestion of some chowhounder. Oh My God! It was fantastic. The waitstaff was great. The only mistake we made was NOT ordering the Mussels. Everyone around us ordered Mussels and they looked and smelled great. No worries though. I had the Endive Blue Cheese salad that was to die for. It was fantastic. It was made with imported Blue Cheese and it tasted like heaven. Then, I ordered the Sea Urchin Pasta. Words cannot describe how fantastic this dish was. The pasta was homemade. It was covered with fresh shrimp, scallops and sea urchin, in a cream sauce. This was an amazing meal. Thanks Chow Hound. Mon Sep 07 17:29:28 -0700 2009 15383 tstrum 1 5012234 You're welcome! Thanks for the report -- we don't often hear about offerings at Plouf other than the mussels (which is what they're known for). Mon Sep 07 19:28:48 -0700 2009 5011996 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 5015376 Funny, the only time I went to Plouf (several years ago), I had the mussels and they were eh. Not actually bad, but not particularly good. Guess it was an off day. Tue Sep 08 21:59:34 -0700 2009 5012234 19542 Karen_Schaffer 3 5015553 Ruth only said they're known for their mussels, not that they are good. My experience was meh as well. Lots of better mussels in the bay area. Wed Sep 09 02:48:16 -0700 2009 5015376 54804 bbulkow 4 5016372 I've always loved the mussels at Plouf. So I'm curious to know where else I should go to find even better mussels. Do tell... Wed Sep 09 09:53:26 -0700 2009 5015553 261092 BernalKC 5 5018316 First answer is Belgium. I ate mussels every day for a week in Liege, bars and little bistros, at which point you're ruined for American mussels. That's the same style as at Plouf, where there's a list of sauces. I ended up loving Provancale. Plouf's sauces are dull and lifeless in comparison to what I remember from Belgium. That being said, around here I prefer the preparation where the mussels are pan roasted. My favorite local to me was Three Seasons in Palo Alto, which had a divine lemongrass based sauce, but they took that dish off the menu. For more standard preparations, I'd say just about any place is as good as Plouf. The mussels I had at shokolaat in Palo Alto last weekend were perfectly serviceable - not overcooked, super sweet, interesting sauce with lots of onion and cream, could have used more punch but an interesting dish. The place that preceded Wood Tavern I remember as having good mussels. I think I remember liking Luka's sauce, and the fries aren't bad (actual belgian style). Perhaps 'meh' was a bit strong - they're fine but not "worth a trip" IMHO. I order mussels a lot, love the little buggers, and after a few visits to Plouf I found theirs not particularly better than my regular restaurant's, and Plouf is kind of a hassle, given location, parking, and noise. If I was walking past and was hungry I'd eat them, though. Wed Sep 09 21:14:37 -0700 2009 5016372 54804 bbulkow 5 5020843 By a mile: A Cote. Theirs are one of my all time favorite dishes, of any kind. Roasted in Pernod and cream. Thu Sep 10 18:33:35 -0700 2009 5016372 11390 jillyju 6 5021198 Yes! Roasted! I don't have a clear memory of the dish from my eats at a cote, perhaps I need to schedule a refresher... Thu Sep 10 21:50:31 -0700 2009 5020843 54804 bbulkow 4 5020723 Gotta agree with Robert on this - I really like the moules frites at A Cote. Haven't been to Plouf in ages, tho I enjoy the location enormously -- easy access from BART for those of us in the East Bay. Thu Sep 10 17:27:09 -0700 2009 5015553 97528 escargot3 3 5019308 I've had mussels at Plouf probably a dozen times, and they were always very good except for one visit, when they were just OK. Plouf used to be my favorite place for moules-frites, but now I prefer À Côté in Oakland. Thu Sep 10 09:29:15 -0700 2009 5015376 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 5013556 Sounds like amazing-great choices. Thanks for the report Tue Sep 08 10:18:55 -0700 2009 5011996 10264 rworange